Joseph Kennedy III Moves Toward Run to Replace Barney Frank

Attorney Joseph Kennedy III, the scion of the storied political dynasty, will move toward a bid for the open 4th district seat in Massachusetts.

"I am announcing today my intention to explore a candidacy for the United States Congress in the Fourth District of Massachusetts," he said in a statement.

Kennedy, 31, said he is resigning his current position as an assistant district attorney in Middlesex County to explore a run in the seat currently held by Rep. Barney Frank (D). Frank announced last month he would retire at the end of the 112th Congress. The 4th district changed substantially in redistricting.

"My decision to look seriously at elected office is grounded in a deep commitment to public service and my experience — both my own and that of my family — in finding just, practical, and bipartisan solutions to difficult challenges," Kennedy said. "It is a commitment instilled in me at a young age and one that inspired me to join the Peace Corps after college and to become a prosecutor after law school."

The son of former Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) and the grandson of the late Sen. Robert Kennedy (D-N.Y.), Kennedy will likely clear the Democratic field, as Roll Call reported in December.